USC will begin its next football season with another tough September slate.

During the first month, the Trojans face Fresno State in their season opener, rival Stanford in the Pac-12 opener the following week and defending conference champion Washington in Seattle in its final weekend.

Nine of the 12 teams on the regular-season schedule were bowl eligible in 2018, including their first six opponents.

The Pac-12 released the schedule Tuesday.

The other September matchups include a nonconference game at BYU on Sept. 14 and a Friday night home game against Utah six days later.

During Clay Helton’s coaching tenure, the Trojans have found trouble early in the season. They began 1-3 in his first full season in 2016, their worst start in 15 years, and were 1-2 earlier this fall before finishing 5-7 overall.

The schedule for 2019 includes a bye week during Week 6, situated after the grueling September stretch and before the Trojans travel to rival Notre Dame on Oct. 12.

Due to a 14-week regular-season schedule, USC is also idle Thanksgiving weekend, serving as a potential bye week should it win the Pac-12 South Division and make the conference title game. The Trojans benefited from a bye week before the Pac-12 championship game in 2017 when they beat Stanford.

Adding some degree of difficulty, they have two Friday games in a season for the first time since 1977, creating shorter weeks of game preparation.

The Trojans conclude the regular season against crosstown rival UCLA at the Coliseum on Nov. 23, the last of their six home games. The earlier home dates include Fresno State, Stanford, Utah, Arizona and Oregon.

Joey Kaufman is the USC beat writer for the Southern California News Group. Since joining the Orange County Register in 2015, he has also covered Major League Baseball and UCLA athletics. His work has been recognized by the Associated Press Sports Editors and Football Writers Association of America. Kaufman grew up in beautiful downtown Burbank.